Money robbed from Gujarat ATMs rose 10-fold in 6 years

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat is considered one of the safest states in the country. But hard figures of thefts, burglaries and robberies portray a different picture. According to data submitted to the Union home ministry by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Gujarat recorded 27 cases of ATM-related thefts, robberies and burglaries till September 2018, amounting to Rs 4.07 crore lost — an over 10-fold increase to the 29 cases involving loss of Rs 43 lakh in 2013.

Not only this, the state is at fourth-worst if the total amount lost to ATM thefts, burglaries and robberies is considered. Only states like Odisha (Rs 8.43 crore), Tamilnadu (Rs 8.25 crore lost) and Nagaland (Rs 4.35 crore lost) are worse than Gujarat in ATM-related crimes.

States like Bihar (Rs 2.19 crore lost) and Uttar Pradesh (Rs 1.54 crore lost), which are infamous for deteriorated law and order in popular perception, were better than Gujarat in terms of money lost to ATM burglaries, thefts and robberies.

Talking to TOI, a senior Gujarat police official said that though cops take all necessary actions to nab the criminals, lack of proper security around ATM centres make them vulnerable.

In various cases, thieves fled away with the entire ATM machine which they later cut open to get the money. Recently, thieves had fled with an ATM machine from Lambha area on the outskirts of the city before spraying silly strings on CCTV cameras installed inside the ATM.

In most such cases, no security guard was found deployed and the shutters were closed, but the thieves who usually came with cutters, cut the machine and brought out the cash. “A bank has made a unique attempt by putting an alarm in their ATM in Odhav area which screams ‘chor chor’ when someone enters wearing a mask. In April this year, two burglars went inside the ATM with their faces covered with masks, but as they stepped in, the alarm began ringing and they had to flee leaving behind their cutter machine,” said a city police official.

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